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#and based the shining events off the actual book or the mini-series
mvncesa · 3 years
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me: logically we can understand why the shining was considered so scary when it came out- me watching the movie or thinking about it: it's so fucking bad though
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Absolute Carnage #4 Thoughts
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Good but with some issues.
Let me be upfront first.
Stuff happened and delayed me catching up with this event, indeed because I wanted to be primed for 2099 I am kind of off the Carnage hype train for the moment. Still like the book, still think it’s great, but I’m not hotly anticipating every new issue at the moment. I think part of that though is owed to the event taking way to long at the end of the day.
I mean this event started back during ASM v5 #27 and since then we’ve finished the Syndicate arc, done an Spider-Marriage tease issue, done 2 tie-ins to this event, released Amazing Mary Jane and have moved on to the prelude to a 2099 event.
This event is ending whilst the latter is just starting up, it’s kind of nuts.
That doesn’t make this issue bad though.
One more quick disclaimer, the order I’m reading and making posts about this is generally based upon the release order of the relevant issues. If issues are released the same day then I’ve been referring to this website. If you read the link you see that the order given is different to the release order so I’ve been shuffling things around.
If I was to list the actual problems (arguably nitpicks) with the story they’d simply be
a)      Eddie becomes Venom by bonding to all different codices, even though he’s not bonded to his own actual symbiote
b)      Eddie with the codices looks like the regular version of Venom? That’s a little underwhelming
c)       Hulk Venom ultimately doesn’t amount to much beyond fanservice. He stalls Carnage and allows him to get in close enough to absorb the Venom symbiote.
d)      The Doppelgangers power levels are odd. If they’re bonded to symbiotes they should be getting notable power boosts and yet the heroes just treat them like their Chitauri or Ultron drones or something. I guess MAYBE the idea is that Venom and his offspring give hosts huge power boosts but that’s only because they’re replicating Spider-Man’s and Venom’s powers. If the symbiotes from the Grendel symbiote don’t have that lineage or history then the power boosts will be smaller.
e)      Brock persuading Spider-Man to protect Dylan and Normie by invoking ‘whatever he’s been to him [Peter] over the years’ rings a little false. Cates said he views Peter and Eddie’s dynamic as one of brothers and one wherein Peter is the golden boy and Brock is the screw up. So I can get where his head is at with that line, but even if you take in account all the times Brock has been an ally to Peter the facts are that the majority of the time they’ve been at odds. And by ‘at odds’ I mean, Brock’s wanted to violently murder him. I guess TECHNICALLY the line isn’t wrong as there have been moments of camaraderie between them but...Brock half traumatised Mary Jane when they first met!
f)       Peter agrees to protect the boys whilst Brock goes out to fight the horde of Doppelgangers?????? Peter wouldn’t do that. Peter has super powers and Brock is a non-powered guy grossly outnumbered and has some equipment he’s not all that familiar with. Realistically if someone has to hold the line and protect Normie and Dylan it makes more sense for it to be Brock whilst Spider-Man has better odds of holding off the Doppelgangers for 10 minutes. This event is the set up for ASM #831-832, the tie-in issues to Absolute Carnage that see Spider-Man battle Norman Carnage.
I do not know if Cates simply threw that set up at Spencer or if Spencer maybe requested it to be that way or something in between but it needed better justification.
From the POV of a Spider-Man story, it makes a lot of sense for Spider-Man’s specific tie-ins to concern Norman Osborn as Carnage. Equally from the perspective of a Venom/Eddie Brock story (which is  ultimately what Absolute Carnage is) it makes a lot of sense for Eddie to get the big hero moment fighting the odds.
It’s not the destination that’s a problem it’s how we got there. If Cates had tweaked it somehow so that Peter and Eddie were split up and/or Norman Carnage immediately honed in on the boys demanding Spider-Man deal with him as the immediate present danger, that would’ve worked better.
These are flaws in the story but not deal breaker ones.
To be honest the stuff that actually took me out of the story more was stuff that to my knowledge wasn’t Cates fault.
I am of course talking about the tie-ins.
First of all, Venom v4 #19 was not out at the time of this comic’s release meaning there is still stuff relevant to Sleeper that hasn’t been addressed if you are reading this in release order. That’s TWO issues of the main title where you’ve been waiting on a tie-in to explain stuff.
Second of all it’s just weird seeing Absolute Carnage #4 provide a set up for Peter’s tie-in issues considering they already wrapped up by the time this comic came out.
But the biggest problem came from the Miles Morales tie-ins.
Up until now, whatever their quality, the tie-ins did a good job of at least plausibly fitting into the events of the main book. They were also spread out enough that they didn’t step on one another’s toes. Early into the event though the big exception was Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales #1. The ending of the issue was supposed to reflect the ending of Absolute Carnage #2 and it didn’t in various ways. The ends were the same, but the events leading to it were not.
Not good but not a deal breaker.
However someone (likely Ahmed or the editors) screwed up because AC: Miles Morales #3 ended with Miles rebonding with his symbiote now in control and rocking a cool new look, ready to take the fight to Carnage. In this issue though he’s still under Carnage’s control, doesn’t look like he did at the end of his tie-in mini-series and Eddie shocks the symbiote off of him. Which now I think about it is another flaw. In the Ultimate Universe symbiotes are vulnerable to electrical attacks, but that is not the case in 616. They can be harmed by them, but you aren’t going to kill them or shock them off of a host with electricity.
I don’t blame Cates for this as he’s writing the main book and Venom’s ongoing. He’s handing the lion’s share of this event and frankly his books are the centrepiece. Even if he made the faux pas, he can be excused whilst Ahmed and/or the editors should’ve been paying attention to Cates’ scripts and following his lead. In essence as this is HIS event story he must get the prerogative.
As it stands though unless some other tie-in fixes this Miles’ entire mini-series was both pointless and possibly not even in continuity????????????
Please do not get things twists.
Much as I’ve pointed out flaws in the comic, this is still good stuff!
As always the art is firing on all cylinders.
I can’t say much more about it than I’ve already said, it’s just gorgeous and it is some of the best Spider-Man art of this decade and some of the best symbiote art of any decade.
The one thing of note though is Stegman’s design for...I don’t even know what we call this guy.
Venom Carnage? Grendel Venom?....Venage??????????????????
Carnage having absorbed the Venom symbiote basically.
It looks fucking awesome!
I’ve held a theory for several months that Carnage’s character is thematically connected to the idea of Death Metal and art work associated to it, which is partially why Cates (going all the way back to Venom v4 #1) folded in Vikings and Elder Gods and stuff like that. This is the next logical step, a Demonic Viking  looking Venom/Carnage!!!!!!!
It is also a wonderful “Oh fuck” moment for the story as now Carnage, already out of everyone’s league, just boosted his strength even more!
Not to mention, intentionally or not, it calls back to Howard Mackie’s run in the early 2000s when Venom stole the Carnage symbiote from Kasady and absorbed it into himself. Although this isn’t the true Carnage symbiote and Kasady hasn’t taken it from Brock personally, it’s something of a role reversal.
And now the stage is set for essentially super enhanced versions of Brock/Venom and Kasady/Carnage to have their grand showdown!
Throughout this issue and this story Cates keeps things nicely zeroed in on Brock’s character, hammering home what we could describe as his mission statement throughout his whole run, which is to develop and explore Eddie Brock. And in this issue, as he often has, he shines. He gets the crap kicked out of him a lot, but he still shines.
You even get the impression Cap is approving or even proud of his efforts which means a lot.
Over all, an issue with some flaws but still delivering a strong story!
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lokis-lady-death · 5 years
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Return to Crimson Peak
Disclaimer: This story is written as a sequal to Crimson Peak. If you couldn’t handle the original story, please don’t read, because that would be dumb. 
Sir Thomas Sharpe x Reader
Mini Series Halloween (Special thanks to @bambamwolf87 for going back and forth on this idea!) 
My name is (y/n), and I would like to tell you a story.
A love story. Filled with hate. Filled with sin. Something real and imaginary, exciting and terrifying.
I want to tell you a ghost story.
There were all kinds of ghost stories that have floated through the world, like a dense fog, capturing the imaginations of those who hear them. Some based as far back as when nobility and class were all anyone cared about, some as notorious as Jack the Ripper, some as tragic as children getting taken by monsters. Each story holds some truths, based on some sort of factual event that forever concretes the illusion of a ghost to the world of the living. Alas, they all inevitably fade away. They become fables we tell children, destined to be nothing more than boy scout campfire tales.
Utter nonsense really.
But then, every once in a while, against all reasonable belief, there is a ghost story so rifeting, so heart wrenching -so full of lust, ambition, and murder- that at the end it leaves one questioning their sanity.
Crimson peak is one of those ghost stories.
The first time my brother Luke and I heard the story of Crimson Peak was from our grandmother. I remember visiting the family home in Buffalo, New York, listening to her spin fantisful tales of this or that while pouring me tea. Grandmother was a wonderful storyteller, a trait I was told she inherited from her own mother, Edith McMichael. Better known by her maiden name, Edith Cushings.
She told us that Edith had grown up a beautiful, well educated woman of the upper society of New York. An unwed heiress that only cared about one thing: writing stories. That is, until her own story had an unexpected character added to the plot. Thomas Sharpe.
From there, everyone knows the story, most likely even read the book.
But this story became something more to my brother. He wanted more than the book. He wanted the experience.
He wanted to see and live it for himself.
As he grew older, he researched more into the story and found the home in which everything took place: Allerdale Hall. As it turned out, the gothic mansion had been made over to be a secluded, lavish hotel for rich bureaucrats traveling the English countryside in the 50’s, however in the 80’s the attention died down. It went a long time without use until 2010 when a new owner took over and turned it into a Victorian Bed and Breakfast with a twist: while it’s 50’s counterpart tried to pretend nothing awful happened in that house, the new owner exploited it. There was even an episode of Ghost Hunter filmed where someone stayed the night in the bed and breakfast. They stayed in Lucille’s room but never saw her ghost. He did say the new owner and her husband were rather odd, though he thought they were just trying to give into the haunted theme they tried to portray.
It was disheartening to say the least that other than the story of Crimson Peak itself, it seemed like there was no actual haunting. I eventually lost interest and moved on with my life, diving into school and social life. But not Luke. He still felt drawn to the story and after working doubles for two months and convincing me to split the fees, we were set to travel to England and actually stay the night in Allerdale Hall.
Which is where my story begins.
*****
“This is it!” Luke exclaimed, heaving one bag onto his shoulder and another under his arm. “Crimson Peak!”
I cut my eyes at my brother, almost annoyed at the whole situation. His Ghosts are Real shirt, his bag of ghost summonings, our grandmother’s copy of Crimson Peak all in hand so as to crescent it with what he deems the unholy land. “I can’t believe you talked me into this…”
His blonde curls bounced as he turned to face our home for the next few days. “But… Just look at it, y/n....”
Turning up from the cab, I took in the entirety of Allerdale Hall. Grand, magnificent, dark, and foreboding, it stood against a gray canvas of fog. In front of it, the key part of the entire story, Sir Thomas Sharpe’s mining invention.
My eyes followed upward the structure, absorbing every last archway and stone of the complex before resting on a single window where I caught sight of a pale faced man.
I was snapped back to my brother when he called my name for what I had to assume by his aggravated tone was not the first time. “What?”
“I said grab your shit, I ain’t no packmule.”
I grabbed my bags and followed him through the double doors.
Inside, it was evident all the work the new owners had put into the mansion. It was extravagant but dark, framed perfectly with a massive wooden staircase that opened all the way to the other floors, victorian era artwork lining every inch of wall space, and a single grand crystal chandelier shining over the foyer.
“Welcome!” called out a british accent. A pink haired woman popped up from behind the registry desk with a gleaming, misplaced smile. “I’m the owner, I go by Rain. You must be the Cushings!”
As if the overtly brightness of her hair was too much for the gothic mansion, she countered with a steampunk style victorian dress of silk, leather metal loops and chains that dangled from her sleeves and a leather corset hugging at her waist.
“Actually, that’s not our name…” I corrected while Luke simply began signing the guest book.
“But you ARE descendants of Edith Cushing, right?” she pushed.
“I… Yes, we are. How did you...?”
“I found you on Ancestry.com! I have been a huge fan of your great, great grandmother for a long time! I saved up for years to buy this place,” the owner said as she looked around the empty lobby with a since of overbuilt romanticism. “Crimson Peak has always been a passion of mine.”
“You two should get along swell then,” I mumbled as Luke laid down the pen. “Now, about our rooms….”
“OH yes!” she exclaimed while pulling out two skeleton keys, handing you each one. “You will be in the west wing, Lucille’s old room,” the owner told Luke. “And you,” she said with a sideways grin, “You’ll be down the hall in Sir Thomas’s room.”
I took the key and stared at it, feeling my heart start to race. “I....”
“Excellent!” my brother cut me off, taking the sets of keys. “Are we allowed to explore some?”
There was some mischief behind the owner’s eyes when she answered, “Its actually encouraged.”
While Luke looked more than please, I had to stop and ask, “Won’t that be disruptive to your other customers?”
“Judging by the guest book, we’re the only ones staying here.”
“Correct! We normally slow down on visitors during the colder months. Which is a shame, because that’s when things always get fun around here.” Rain cut me a wink before finishing, “Now, enjoy!”
Luke’s hand grabbed hold of my shoulder to steer me away from the desk. “Yes, we will, thank you, Ms. Rain!” Just passed her I could make out another grand room with a marble fireplace and piano.
“That’s where Lucille used to play music for her brother,” Luke told like an extremely zealous curator at a museum. I wrinkled my nose, remembering that detail from the book. “Come on, let’s go find our rooms!”
At the base of the stairs was a framed layout of the house to help guests find their way around. A large YOU ARE HERE arrow laid out where you began. Luke’s finger followed the line up to the right and down a hall to West Wing where the two of you would be staying.
Luke held out my key before flashing me one of his overly excited grins, he spat out, “Race ya!”
Before I could argue how rude, childish, and annoying he was being, Luke was off. Never one to be outdone, I bolted up behind him, hoping I remembered the layout. By the time I got to the top of the stairwell, I saw my brother’s sneakers right before they disappeared down a hall. When I got to the opening of the hall, I turned and saw no one. Taking a few steps forward, I listened intently to try and pinpoint where my brother had gone.
But nothing.
“Fuck,” I mumbled under my breath. Giving up on the race, I let out an exasperated sigh and wandered deeper in to the house.
‘Do I turn here?’ I asked myself when I found another hall off the main one. I still didn’t see Luke, so I called out for him but I got no answer.
A round window at the other end of the stretch was all that illuminated my path, casting shadows from the intricate woodwork of the moldings and ceiling.
I was distracted when I heard a soft disruption in all the stillness of the house. I stopped and listened. Someone was moving around in one of the rooms, but which one, I wondered. Following the sound, I came to the end of the hall. A light on the other side was so bright that it boiled through the small gap where the door met the floor. Some more ruffling from the other side confirmed I was at the right room, I could even see shadows move through the light.
“Luke, is this your room?” I asked, going to turn the knob. But it was locked.
“No?” I jumped when I unexpectedly heard his voice from the other end of the hall, where I had just come from. “What are you doing down here?” he asked, ���We’re this way.”
“I heard someone, I thought it was you...” I turned back, eying the floor where the light shone through. But there was none now. No light. No movement. Just stillness.
“Oh…” I swallowed but shook my head, knowing it had to be my own imagination getting the better of me.
“You’re already getting haunted?” Luke asked with a hint of jealousy.
“No, you idiot, this stupid house just has me on edge is all.” I grabbed up my bags and eyed him. “Now show me where our rooms are so I can sleep off this jet lag!”
Back down the main hall, he showed me where a set of double doors led down a private wing. The West Wing.
“Here’s your room,” Luke said, taking my key to open it. “My room is the last one on the left.”
The door creaked so horribly it felt like it echoed through the whole mansion.
It did not disappoint. The room, like everything else in the house, was massive, the walls solid wood carved and etched with such fine, minute detail it felt like a painting. The ceiling had golden loops around where two chandeliers hung on either side of the massive four poster bed that sat opposite of a fireplace.
“Holy shit…. Maybe this won’t be so bad, “ I reasoned as I pulled out my phone to text my friends back in the US.
Luke’s voice cracked as he watched, knowing what you must be doing. “Actually, I had one thing I had to tell you, and don’t freak....”
“I HAVE NO SIGNAL?” I raged as my eyes narrowed at him. His hands were up in defense, waiting for the slew of slaps he deserved, but I just let it go. “Fine. Ok. Whatever. Have you found the WiFi password?”
“Actually, about that…”
“Luke…”
“It’s good to take a break from modern advances now and then, y/n, you know it’s healthy…”
“Luke.” I stopped him, staring deep into his soul. “Are you telling me you brought me to the middle of nowhere England, to a haunted house, with no working means to contact the outside world?”
“It’s only for a few days…”
“LUKE, I WILL MuRdEr YOU! You will no longer be looking for a ghost because YOU WILL BE A GHOST!” My hands went flying and all he could do was protect his face.
“Come on, y/n. Don’t be so melodramatic,” he said before stepping out of your doorway. “Take it as an opportunity to get to know yourself. That’s why I told you to bring books.”
The realization that he had known the whole time we would be without technology was even more infuriating, so I started chunking pillows from the bed at him until he closed the door
I threw myself onto the bed and screamed into the comforter.
How was I going to stay sane without the internet for three days?
Sitting back up, I couldn't help but reassess my situation.
I'm stuck.
In a haunted house.
For three days.
A strange sensation washed over me, like the sudden chill of someone walking over your grave.
The house, I realized, was quiet. So quiet. Not another soul to be heard.
That was the first time I noticed that I had been hearing a steady movement the entire time I was alone and hadn't paid it any attention until now. When it stopped.
What had stopped moving?
I stayed still and listened for it to start again.
But it didn't.
Wondering why I had unnecessarily scared myself, I shook my head clear of the thought while opening up one of my bags.
My first bag was my safety net.
Junk food (because I’m shameless), sodas (because I’m shameless), and romance novels (because, you guessed it).
I opened the music on my phone and pulled out my thirstiest book.
Chapter One: How They Met
About twenty minutes into my story, the music was interrupted by a tap on the door. One solid knock. Of course I jumped, anyone would have. Then I heard some shuffling as an envelope flew under my door.  
I instantly sprang from my seat- curiosity always being both my best and worst quality- and tore the letter open.
~~We would like to cordially invite you to dinner in the Main Dining Hall this evening at 6pm. PS On the back of the door, you will find attire for the event.~~
Of course my first thought was what a gimmick to pull, but then I had to appreciate their creativity. The place wanted to bring out the Gothic Romance of  Allerdale Hall, and it certainly didn’t hold back. Opening the door to find a white silk dress, I saw the depth of that devotion.
I pulled the dress down when I heard Luke’s door open. “Holy shit!” he cussed. I went down the hall to find him awing at a suit hanging from his door. “Y/n!” he squealed through his teeth, “Holy shit!”
I laughed but really, I was excited.
A dressed up dinner in a haunted mansion. Through all the cliche, through all the irritants, I thought maybe this could turn out to be a fun get away.
After all...
What was the harm in playing along?
Part 2 is up!
The role of Luke will be played by Evan Peters:
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ty-talks-comics · 5 years
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Best of Marvel: Week of June 12th, 2019
Best of this Week: Silver Surfer: Black #1 - Donny Cates, Tradd Moore, Dave Stewart and Clayton Cowles
After a series of starts and stops with a random annual and appearances in a short Defenders mini-series, The Silver Surfer may have finally found his stride.
The Silver Surfer Annual of 2018 saw the Surfer facing an existential crisis about his role in the destruction of planets after being newly to his position as Herald of Galactus following the events of Infinity Countdown. There was a bit of hope as to what their relationship would be like after the Surfer gets angry about his lot in life and Galactus wipes his memory. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to stick as he appears to fully remember everything when helping out his former Defenders allies. He hasn’t really been seen since until Guardians of the Galaxy where he was thrust into a black hole by the Black Order.
Silver Surfer: Black opens with the Surfer reflecting on the distress that comes with being the harbinger of death for the Eater of Worlds, how he never forgets the cries of those that are sacrificed to sate Galactus’ hunger. It then cuts to the Surfer doing what he can to save a few of his allies, using Beta Ray Bill’s Stormbreaker to catapult the warrior and several others out of the vortex. He then uses his Power Cosmic to find the weak spots in the tear to free the rest in a glorious display of power.
These two scenes are absolute trips to read. Tradd Moore’s art style is perfect for capturing the effects of a black hole ripping bodies apart and stretching limbs as characters appear very long and wobbly. Backgrounds are wavy and can actually appear to be very disorienting and that’s actually good for how immersive this part of the story is, especially after the Surfer expends his energy to save everyone and slowly drifts into darkness.
The exhauston on his face is very palpable and I have to take a yawn as he curls into a ball and begins to shrink into a small silver ball of nothing. His atoms tremble as he heals his body after falling for what he believes to be years and he spots a bit of light. He summons his board and seeks help only to be met by three guardians of some sort of gate who attack him soon after.
Even weakened, The Surfer is no slouch and holds his own against these powerful foes. The shots of this fight are very floaty, in that, while hits have some impact, it’s negated by how much the art just flows. Everything is pulled back to show the grand scale that the fight happens in as the Surfer appears tiny in relation to these enemies. After a brutal fight that nearly sees the Surfer defeated, he unleashes a surge of energy, creating a sun above the planet and turning his left hand black. The gate opens and the Surfer is set upon by a VERY UNEXPECTED, but very interesting enemy.
This book was amazing from start to finish. Cates scripts an excellent opening that’s taken to another level with Moore’s beautiful art. I forgot to mention Dave Stewart’s coloring which absolutely crushes everything. It’s amazingly smooth and gives the book the kind of shine that’s appropriate for the Surfer and a trippy vibe to set the tone for what’s in store for the book. Even in it’s later pages where things are awash in brown, the Surfer stands out with his Silver visage and looks very cool. I’m excited for the future of this book and definitely give this one a high recommend as a return to form for a cool character that’s in desperate need of revitalization.
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I think I’m going to be sick. Sick with disgust, fear and absolute love for this amazing series and the levels it goes to push the envelope of horror storytelling in a superhero universe.
Runner Up: The Immortal Hulk #19 - Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Paul Mounts, Rachelle Rosenberg and Cory Petit
Beginning with an impressive analogy, foreshadowing the events of the book, a young Captain Fortean is trying to impress a young Betty Ross with the importance of spiders to the ecosystem as they watch a butterfly trapped in its web. He tells her that spiders keep the rest of the insect population in hand so that the world isn’t in chaos. As they drive away, the butterfly escapes from the web.
Continuing the events from the last issue, Hulk is in the middle of battle with RickBomination, who displays an ability to dissolve Hulk’s body parts with his acid. Truly it’s a gruesome display from the fluid splashing off of Hulk’s arms, to the acid dripping from both of Rick’s mouths, to the slop of flesh falling off of Hulk’s hand as it fails to regrow.
Elsewhere, a kill team utilised by Shadow Base is taking care of witnesses and kills one of the hotel staff. This act is witnessed by Jackie McGee, the reporter that’s been following the Hulk and his exploits for the entirety of the series and her new friend: a newly resurrected and terrifying Harpy, Betty Ross-Banner.
Betty’s new form is a thing of nightmares. In her original Harpy form, Betty was a green skinned beast, resembling a centaur/manticore like monster consisting of wings and feathered legs. She was also the Red She-Hulk, pretty much exactly what it sounds like. This new Red Harpy is...something else. With a jaw that seems very snake-ish, the talons of her hands and feet are razor sharp, capable of grappling, ripping and slicing through anything. Her display of violence against the kill team is brutal and horrific.
She rips off heads, tears bodies in half and just strikes fear into the hearts of the men. The expressions on their faces are not unlike any previously seen in the series, but they still carry with them the sheer terror of what they’re facing. Jackie tries her best to stop Betty’s rampage, but her voice is mousy, unheard as Betty goes absolutely mad.
Throughout the book, Betty narrates that everything about her is her own. Her rage, pain and violence is all hers. Her new Harpy form is hers and after years and years being defined by her relationship to Bruce, she has something all on her own again. She is not endlessly loving, she is not forgiving, she is no one’s friend or soulmate and that if she is seen as a monster, then this is the perfect world for her. The truly horrific bit is saved for the end and it is disgusting.
This issue had a big focus and did a great job of reintroducing Betty Ross-Banner in a meaningful way after her “death” at the hands of Bushwacker a few issues earlier. It also teases a release from her role as just Bruce Banner's love interest and more into her own kind of beast, more ferocious than her Red She-Hulk past. I'm excited for what the future has in store for her and the rest of the Gamma Monsters.
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frederator-studios · 6 years
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Meet Kate Tsang and Jennifer Cho Suhr, Creators of “Welcome to Doozy”
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Kate and Jennifer are award-winning, multidimensional filmmakers who bonded over being the food table hoverers at networking events. Others may schmooze; Kate + Jen sandwich. Their passion for food - and for their friendship - shines through in their short “Welcome to Doozy,” our 6th GO! Cartoon. I sat down with these very impressive ladies to discuss the bureaucracy behind imaginary friends, the importance of representation, and karaoke tea-time. 
Sooo, how’d you two meet? Kate: We met in film school at NYU, where we were in the same Masters program. Jen: Kate took classes in animation - but I have no animation background, and, sadly, can barely draw...
What brought you together as collaborators? Jen: We were paired in the same production group our first week of school, and became good friends. Kate: We’ve since collaborated on each other’s class exercises, thesis films, and various arty things.
Partners in movie-making! What brought you to Frederator as a team? Kate: I’ve always had an interest in animation. I love Adventure Time and Bee and PuppyCat. So when Natasha Allegri posted on her blog about GO! Cartoons, I told Jen we should ‘go’ for it. Jen: We had - still have! - the concept for a full series prepared, so we actually pitched the show bible first and then reverse-engineered that into the short.
How did “Doozy” change throughout your development process? Jen: A lot, actually. Lou is a Kitsune fox demon now - she started out as an eyeball with cowboy boots! But the concept was always 2 girlfriends, a la Broad City, having misadventures. Kate: A little origin story: Ex (who has always been a rabbit) recently retired from being an imaginary friend. The Bureau of Imaginary Friends handles the re-adjustment of retired IF’s back into the imaginary world. So this is the story of Ex re-assimilating: finding a roommate in Lou, getting a job, and developing a crush on her coworker Skeletim. Jen: Skeletim stayed really consistent since the pitch - Eric (Homan, our VP of Development) always really liked him. We joke that Eric only stuck with us because of Skeletim.
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How much are Ex and Lou based on you two, and who’s who? Kate: It’s a bit of a mix… Jen: But I’d say I’m more Ex, almost by default - just because Kate is so much more like Lou. Kate: I AM the mischievous one. Jen: And I’m the more... straight-laced one? I guess that’s the way to put it. Although! Kate is the one who does martial arts, like Ex.
What themes recur in your work? Kate: There’s always hopefulness in mine. I’m interested in outsiders, and finding whimsy and humor, even when things look bleak. I enjoy working in mediums where I can create wonderment. Like right now: I’m learning magic! Jen: I care a lot about representation and grounding stories in the realities of human relationships. The feature film that I’m developing now is inspired by my relationship with my sister. And with “Doozy”: it’s very specific to Kate and my identities as Asian Americans. Kate: Like incorporating the bento box, and the influence of Japanese anime and manga, of which we’re both fans. We were definitely inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s way with food.
❀ A happy lil side note: one of the most popular Youtube comments on the short reads ‘A lot of people won’t know what a bento is but thanks to you, now they do!’ ❀
Jen: And we were conscious of the fact that most buddy comedies are about male friendships. We wanted to show girls being silly together and represent female friendship as it really is. Kate: That’s why Broad City was such an inspiration and even a motivator for “Doozy”. We were like ‘Ok, people do want to watch this.’
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I read recently that Broad City’s viewership is split almost evenly male/female - it’s actually something like 55/45, with more men watching than women. Kate: What? That’s awesome. Jen: It just goes to show that it all comes down to good comedy and strong characters. I’m actually about to have a baby boy which has made me think about the types of stories that I’ll read to him as he grows up. I’ve been thinking of some of my favorite YA books with female protagonists like Anne of Green Gables and A Wrinkle in Time… it’s important to me that he’s able to identify and empathize with female characters. The only reason that boys “wouldn’t be able to” as people say, is if they learn socially that they shouldn’t.
What are some cool things we’ll get to see if “Welcome to Doozy” gets a series? Jen: Well, let’s just say there are some nefarious happenings in Ex’s office…
Gasp! Not Mrs. Hugs! Kate: Nah, not Mrs. Hugs. She’s a true office drone, doesn’t know what’s really up. Jen: We’d also backtrack, to show how Ex and Lou came to be friends and roommates. Kate: And we’d get to introduce their pet popsicle, who lives in the freezer. Jen: And we’d get to see Lou working her job at a run-down mini golf course. She schemes and ~magics~ to keep it afloat. Kate: There’s an underlying mystery, and it’d be a lot of them screwing up while trying to investigate it.
What sorta stuff do you guys like to do together - any wild adventures? Kate: Actually, yes. We try to take a road trip together every year. So far we’ve done the Badlands, the Southwest, the Midwest, the South and New Orleans. Jen: Admittedly, the Midwest was probably the most boring… not to knock where I’m from. But here’s a story: when we were in Nashville - the biggest music town - we quickly realized that karaoke is different there and that everyone getting onstage was a pro or semi-pro country singer. And then Kate got up - Kate: I didn’t know any better. Jen: And sang an Amy Winehouse/Mark Ronson cover amid all this country music. Truly the new kids in town. And the audience TOTALLY ate it up! They loved it. Kate: We karaoke together a lot. Sometimes we rent a room for just the two of us… during the middle of the day… one might call us enthusiasts.
What cartoons do you guys like? Jen: Well, Kate and I have wildly different tastes. But we both love Adventure Time and Rick and Morty. Kate: And we share 90s cartoons, like Dexter’s Lab, Daria, and Invader Zim - Jen: But Kate likes things like Ren & Stimpy - which is too grotesque for me…
What about your favorite Studio Ghibli film? Jen: Spirited Away. Kate: My Neighbor Totoro.
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Last up: what are you working on now, and what’s your favorite thing you’ve made in the past? Kate: Favorite film I’ve made is “So You’ve Grown Attached” - “Doozy” inherited elements from it, like the imaginary friends, and the name ‘Ex’. Jen: I’m really focused on getting my feature financed right now, which we want to shoot this summer.
Oo-ooh! What’s it about, and who’s the star? Jen: The film is called You and Me Both and we have Constance Wu from Fresh Off the Boat as one of the stars (me = !!). It’s a drama with comedic notes about two sisters, one a struggling heroin addict, who take a road trip to find their birth mother. While it touches on some heavy topics like loss and addiction, it’s ultimately a love story between sisters… so if anyone is looking to finance a film, hit me up! As far as favorite work… I don’t know… Kate: What about “Saeng-Il”? (“Birthday” in Korean) Jen: Okay, “Saeng-Il” then.
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And Kate, what are you working on?
Kate: Eeeerrrrrr…. Jen: C’mon! Your feature! Kate: Okay, yeah, I’m working on a feature too. It’s a drama-comedy about a teen delinquent who teams up with a struggling party magician to battle her inner demons, strained home life, and avoid reform school. If anyone happens to know anyone who knows Catherine O’Hara - I’ve got a part for her.
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You heard it here first, folks. Let’s snag financing for “You and Me Both” and Catherine O’Hara as Kate’s lead.
Thanks for taking the time, Kate and Jen! Great chatting with you, and best of luck on all of your projects. Can’t wait to see ‘em on the big screen (and also, little screens).
- Cooper
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ambivalentman · 7 years
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AN ATHEIST KING: THE LOSS OF BELIEF AND CHARACTER IN MUSCHETTI’S IT (2017)
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This essay features several spoilers for IT (2017). You have been warned.
A DISCLAIMER BEFORE WE BEGIN
I was, at one point, a hard core Stephen King fan. When I entered my 20s, I owned every book written by him in hardcover -- with the exception of special edition stuff like My Pretty Pony -- including several first editions (like a beautiful first of The Shining). My copies of George Beahm’s The Stephen King Companion and The Stephen King Encyclopedia were already dog-eared and annotated. My prize possessions were the four issues of Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction I had which featured the first publication of The Gunslinger, and the other I had which included “The Moving Finger.” My parents thought I was weird, most girls thought I was scary, and at one point even my grandma suggested I seek therapy.
This was until about 2000. Then, an event took place which caused me -- like those in the Loser’s Club -- to abandon childish things. It was a bad decision, but I gave up my Stephen King collection.
I didn't rediscover my love for King until recently. Sure, I dabbled a bit these last few years, reading Under the Dome and 11/22/63, but I never fully re-embraced the hero of my youth. Until I decided to re-read IT, his 1986 masterpiece about a group of wounded people forced to face a truly terrifying force as both children and adults. I saw that Andy Muschetti was adapting the novel for Warner Bros., taking over for Cary Fukunaga, who -- despite being a true auteur -- fell out of Warner’s graces. All news surrounding the new adaptation was overwhelmingly positive, and it had been a long time since we last saw a great movie based on King’s work.
Back in April, I broke my right hip. After two surgeries, being fairly immobile has given me time to read more, so I picked up IT. Revisiting IT transported me back to that time when I was obsessed with King. The experience was overwhelming, like when adult Bill Denborough gets back on his enormous metal steed, Silver, and recalls how he once raced the devil on that bike to save Eddie Kaspbrak. A flood of joy came from reading King’s pulpy prose again. Going back to that tainted town of Derry to hang with the Losers helped make my rehab a little easier. And though I am still on the mend, I am ready to rekindle my love for King.
Which brings me to my other love: cinema. I don't write much about the movies anymore, but I am chomping at the bit to discuss and evaluate IT. There hasn't been a more anticipated film this year for me.
And no film has both pleased and disappointed me more.
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WHAT MAKES A GOOD KING ADAPTATION?
Because of The Dark Tower, IT, and the forthcoming Gerald’s Game, there have been lots of clickbait “Stephen King Movies . . . Ranked” lists popping up online. Nerdist had a particularly interesting one, in which their top 10 looked like this:
10. Creepshow (1980)
9. IT (2017)
8. The Dead Zone (1983)
7. Dolores Claiborne (1995)
6. Stand By Me (1986)
5. The Mist (2007)
4. The Shining (1980)
3. Carrie (1976)
2. Misery (1990)
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Despite the ranking, most King fans and movie lovers alike will agree with this list (although Creepshow over Pet Sematary or Christine? Really? Sincerely?). Two of these films are directed by Frank Darabont (Shawshank, The Mist), and two by pre-what-the-f-happened Rob Reiner (Misery, Stand by Me). And the new adaptation of IT made the cut. So, if we can acknowledge these are the canonical King adaptations, what makes them the best? It's a pretty steep drop off in quality after the top 10. There's Pet Sematary, Christine, 1408, and The Green Mile, meaning that out of 44 movies based on Stephen King’s novels (not including TV mini-series), there’s really only about 14 good-to-great ones. If this were baseball -- King’s favorite sport -- Hollywood would be batting a respectable .318. Be that as it may, this is not baseball, and producing only 1 solid movie for every 3 is pretty awful.
This suggests that adapting Stephen King is tough. Why, though? His books are packed with memorable characters, scenes, and visuals. You could almost say he writes movies. His dialogue is colloquial and specific, and he has a great sense of pacing. While you could easily point out that lots of his stories share only a couple variations for endings -- destruction or aliens -- he is a strong storyteller with a keen understanding of cause and effect and narrative fairness. There's a reason, after all, that he inspired a generation of writers and filmmakers like JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and the Duffer Brothers.
My theory is that King's greatness resides not in his ideas or execution, but in the spirit of his writing. King's voice is the soul of his work. When you read him, it feels like you are sitting down with a friend, listening to him share a great story. King feels familiar, like family. And the filmmakers who get that make films which reflect it.
Take, for example, the number 1 film on Nerdist’s list, The Shawshank Redemption. The use of Red’s voiceover narration immediately brings us into the tale of Andy Dufresne. Stand By Me and Dolores Claiborne also use great voiceovers. But in films like Misery, Carrie, and The Dead Zone, we are given protagonists who become our friends. We find Paul Sheldon to be kind and thoughtful, Carrie White to be sweet and misunderstood, Johnny Smith to be tortured and alone. These films understand deeply what King was aiming for with his characters. So, when Reiner changes events in Misery, it doesn't matter because not only did he truly “get” Paul, he also truly “got” Paul’s relationship with Annie Wilkes. Each of the films on this list, with the exception of IT (and Creepshow because it was an original script), truly grasped the core of King’s characters and their relationships to each other.
King is often considered a humanist author. His characters, including his villains, are often subjects for sympathy. In his work, there is a lot of insight into human nature, both light and dark. King is an observant author, grounding his most supernatural stories in a real world, with real people. This is best illustrated in his character relationships and interactions. Red and Andy develop first respect, then admiration, then deep friendship over their years in Shawshank. It is a relationship founded on honesty as they are the only honest men in the prison. Their mutual trust is what establishes the foundation for Andy’s escape plans, and ensures his success. In The Dead Zone, Johnny’s broken relationship with Sarah is haunted by lust and vitality, the very qualities Johnny loses touch with after his accident leaves him with a power which zaps the life from him with each use. Carrie White’s naive hope she can actually fit in is fulfilled by the compassionate Tommy Ross, which makes the tragedy of her coronation that much more devastating. The films capture these ideas to profound effect, which is why they endure. Once the novelty of plot dissipates, you are left with characters and their connections to each other and yourself. We enjoy a movie for plot; we love a movie for character.
King writes wonderful characters, and the best films based on his work never fail to capture those characters ideally.
Except IT.
Sigh.
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THE PART WHERE I EXPLAIN WHY THE NOVEL IS A MASTERPIECE
It is not hyperbole to call IT “King's masterpiece.” Lots of critics have done it. By its publication in 1986, IT was the purest, most ambitious distillation of themes and ideas King had explored since Carrie in his fiction (and even in non-fiction dissertations like Danse Macabre). If you're reading this, chances are you know the story:
Every 27 years, the seemingly quaint hamlet of Derry, Maine becomes the feeding ground for an entity that has dwelled under the town’s surface for centuries. In 1958, after 6-year old Georgie Denborough is murdered by the creature -- assuming the shape of a murderous clown called Pennywise -- big brother Bill and his Losers Club come together to put an end to the evil. They are only marginally successful, as 27 years later, the Losers are called to return to Derry to kill IT for good.
IT is a multi-generational horror novel, spanning hundreds of years. We meet the Losers first as adults, all of whom (with the exception of Mike Hanlon, who chose to stay behind in Derry and become its resident historian and librarian) no longer remember the events that took place during the summer of 1958. Mike’s ominous phone calls, reminding the adults of the promise they made -- to return if IT ever resurfaced -- unlocks each adult’s dormant memory. As the novel unfolds, so does their collective remembrance of summer ‘58 and all the horrors it contained. King uses the flashbacks to highlight the differences between childhood and adulthood.
As with any epic sized novel, there are a myriad of themes to unpack. IT dives deep into ideas about childhood trauma, the power of personal shame, community corruption, racism, generational sin, and the coming of age ideas expected from a novel about kids becoming adults. For me, where the novel finds its most compelling thematic territory is in its exploration of belief. King wants us to recognize it is the purity of innocence, and the simplicity of belief that binds these kids together, and that the jaded cynicism of adulthood, with all its fears and anxieties, is what threatens to destroy them.
This theme hinges on the role of Pennywise. He is a shapeshifting, Lovecraftian monster, tapping into the fears of his quarry to exploit during the hunt. He appears to Ben as his dead father, to Mike as a pterodactyl-like bird, to the germaphopic Eddie as a leper, and to Richie as the lycanthropic Michael Landon in I Was a Teenage Werewolf. When Pennywise goes after Bev, it is by turning her sink into a geyser of blood which only she can see. Bill is tormented by the memory of his dearly departed brother, whose school photograph Pennywise animates and makes bleed. Children have very primal fears, and that which adults see as fake or absurd, kids often embrace as real. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, chupacabras, zombies . . . children do not reject fantasy outright as adults do, making them susceptible to both profound fear and hope.
We see this in the Losers’ response to IT’s attacks. They are terrified, but never stop seeking solution. They find their weapons in objects. Even after he learns his asthma inhaler is a mere placebo, Eddie still uses it to calm his nerves, and later fires it at Pennywise, believing its contents to be battery acid. With Bill’s help, Ben melts down two silver dollars into bearings for Bev to shoot at the monster with a slingshot. When Stan gets trapped by Pennywise after finding himself alone in the house on Neibolt Street, he manages to escape by chanting the names of every bird contained in his field guide. The kids build an underground fort, which they convert into a smoke house to go on a Native American “Vision Quest.” It is during this dangerous endeavor that Mike and Richie seem to travel through time back to a primordial era where they witness IT’s arrival. The Losers’ passionate adherence to ritual and talismans give them a collective power. This power keeps them unified, and even frightens their tormentor. Belief is their truest weapon, especially belief in each other.
The other themes King addresses throughout IT are compelling, but it is this idea about belief that gives the novel its soul. There is no cynicism in King's approach -- he captures the imagination of these children with remarkable affection, and this results in each kid winning our hearts over. Pennywise may be the allure the book needs to attract its audience, but these kids are what inspires guys like me to re-read a 1,000+ page book.
They are also what inspired me to struggle with a movie engineered for my celebration.
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IN PRAISE OF MUSCHETTI’S IT
Before I tear apart IT, which is very popular, having made over $200 million domestically in its first two weekends, I want to praise it. Despite having some huge issues, the film does some things very well. There is a good reason why this movie works for so many people.
The major reason IT works is because of its energy and general nostalgia. While these elements often fade on repeat viewings, they are so engrossing during a first one. Being set in 1989 puts the setting during a period Gen Xers remember fondly and for which Millennials pine. Movie theater marquees are showing Batman and Lethal Weapon 2. A poster for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 is a coming attraction. The kids ride Schwinns, use Kodak Carousels, don’t have cell phones, and wear denim cutoffs. The aesthetic is perfect. Producer Seth Grahame-Smith revealed in an interview with Birth.Movies.Death that he prepped nostalgia lists for all of the child actors, from music to movies to video games to fashion as a way to show them what summer ‘89 in New England was like for him. The work paid off, because the town of Derry is authentic in its nostalgia. It is impossible not to be drawn into this world.
And this world is scary, even without Pennywise. As with all idealized nostalgic perspective on days long gone, there is a darker undercurrent (as if we punish ourselves for embracing such idyllic memories). Perhaps the darkest element are the adults of Derry. Kids go missing and the “Missing Persons” posters are simply papered over as new children are added to the list. A leering pharmacist flirts with Bev. In the library, as Ben investigates Derry’s ugly history, the Librarian lingers in the fuzzy background, grinning maliciously. Not one adult exhibits empathy for these kids, including Bill’s dad or Stan’s rabbi father. Certainly not Bev’s father, who inhales his daughter’s hair like she’s fresh out of the oven, and obsesses over her virginity with a fervor that would make even President Trump uncomfortable (or envious, if we're being honest). In some ways, the more visceral nature of the film captures Derry’s innate badness more clearly than the hundreds of pages King devotes to the subject in his novel. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand pages.
Muschietti and his casting director also got the casting perfect. As with the films of JJ Abrams, criticize all you want, but it's impossible to trash the impeccable casting choices. Each of these kids perfectly embodies the characters they portray. Kudos especially go to Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Finn Wolfhard as Ben, Bev, Eddie, and Richie. Ben’s beautiful sensitivity, Bev’s intense devotion and passion, Eddie’s passive-aggressive resolve, and Richie’s unending stream of bullshit are as sharp and resonant here as they are on the page. Even Jaeden Lieberher, as Bill, and Chosen Jacobs, as Mike, look and feel right. Unfortunately, the script makes some poor choices with their characters that nearly derails the film. But more on that in a bit. Without a doubt, these kids are legit actors. No scene better proves this than the swimming scene in which everyone is stripped to their underwear and dives into the lake from the frighteningly high cliff. The scene could have been incredibly exploitative as the boys ogle Bev, but instead the quality of these performances makes their pubescent sexual discovery innocent and real. Consider this a great contrast with the perverse exchanges Bev has with the adult world. It is both ironic and terrifying that Bev is perceived more as an object by adults than by teenage boys.
While the film finds many of its most effective scares in the presentation of Derry, and the juxtaposition of innocent and corrupt images, the advertisements promise that we will be scared senseless by Pennywise the Dancing Clown. As portrayed by Bill Skarsgard, this Pennywise bears little resemblance to the seductive, menacing clown Tim Curry created for the 1990 ABC television miniseries. Skarsgard’s Pennywise is serpentine, alien, with dead eyes and a slithering voice. His costuming suggests his age, and the cracks in his makeup reveal a facade. This Pennywise is less playful and charismatic, and hungrier. He drools as he corners the kids in the Neibolt house. And his shapeshifting is frightening, especially when he presents himself to Eddie as a relentless leper. Skarsgard’s performance is wonderful and wholly his own. He will invite comparisons to the iconic Curry, but ultimately his Pennywise will stand alone.
IT’s success as a film can be broken down into these three elements: Derry, the kids, and the creepiness of Pennywise. But its failure can also be broken down into three parts, too.
1) The absence of a thematic soul
2) The abandonment of characterization
3) The confusion of style for substance
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A LOSS OF SOUL
A great adaptation isn’t necessarily about doing the book, but about capturing the soul of the book (or finding a soul no one even knew existed, ala The Godfather or The Shining). A movie can look the part, but if it fails to reveal that essence of spirit, it will eventually crumble. In the case of IT, the movie is about as hollow as the space behind Pennywise’s eyes.
The soul of this story is the children's belief. Outside of a generic, “We gotta believe in each other!” idea to which much lip service is paid, these kids are bereft of belief in anything. This is an atheist interpretation of Stephen King's story, in which our Loser’s Club prefer brute force over imagination. In the film’s climax, Bill leads the charge against Pennywise by picking up a bat and swinging at the clown’s head. All the Losers join him. The result looks remarkable, as each strike causes the clown to transform into each child's fear, but it is a graceless, uninspired physical solution to a metaphysical problem. It also ruins Pennywise. How evil can he truly be when all it takes is an angry mob armed with sticks to bring him down?
Throughout King's novel, the Losers seek many ways to defeat the demon. They melt down the silver dollars. Eddie’s inhaler becomes a chemical weapon. Stan’s bird book is a shield, the names of the birds his mantra. And the kids buy into Native American rituals, like the Ritual of CHUD, to confront IT. Obviously, the shift in setting from the 1950s to 1980s meant losing some of these talismans. After all, the 50s Wolfman, when compared to the 80s Freddy Krueger, is a flaccid nightmare. But every monster has a weakness, even human ones. The Losers spend no time thinking on this.
Indeed, Muschetti strips them of their creativity completely. Gone is Ben’s architectural acumen, which nearly flooded the Barrens and provided an underground club house. Bill’s storytelling, which keeps the group focused, is generically spread amongst all of them. Even Bev's love for fashion and art is lost. It's shocking to me how Muschetti removed the core elements from each of these characters, leaving only their gimmicks -- Bill’s st-st-stutter, Ben’s girth, Bev’s cigarette smoking, Richie’s humor, Eddie's hypochondria, Stan’s Judaism, and Mike’s blackness. In the need to appeal to every demographic, these characters were stripped for parts.
It is a testament to the strength of the performances by this group of kids that the Losers have any flavor whatsoever. The script provides them no depth, only set pieces and surface sentiment, yet they are convincing for awhile in the dark. But like Pennywise’s many facades, eventually they slide off and there's nothing remaining.
The soul of King's story is belief, imagination, and the collective power of childlike purity. Andy Muschetti’s adaptation is more in love with Halloween maze scares than it is with pursuing these ideas. His vision of defeating our fears involves angry children with sticks, not wounded children with imagination. Audiences may like the cathartic release that comes with beating the shit out of the monster, but it does nothing to feed their souls.
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WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
I already alluded to the surface qualities that pass for characterization in IT, but it goes a bit deeper than this. Character interaction is essential to building great characters, and this is where IT fails epically.
To prove this, let’s take a closer look at Bill Denborough.
Bill is arguably the most important of our protagonists, especially in King's novel. The story begins with him making a paper boat for his brother and sealing it with wax so it will float in the gutter water outside. The death of Georgie becomes a source of guilt and shame for Bill. And since his parents pay little to no attention to him, Bill is made to face these overwhelming feelings alone. It is his determination and inner strength that propels him to lead the Losers in their quest to put an end to IT. But, this quest, while certainly obsessive, is rooted in shame and love. Bill loves each of his friends and often goes off alone because he fears their fate will be his fault, as he believes Georgie’s fate to be his fault. This is the source of Bill’s maturity, which sets him apart from everyone else in the club. Because of Bill’s maturity, the Losers follow him without much question. They are devoted to him as a leader and friend, and willingly choose to lay down their lives if need be.
This is far from the way Bill is presented in the film. He is a Captain Ahab, chasing his white clown into the sewers of Derry. He likes his friends, but often doesn't concern himself with their feelings. In fact, at one point Richie throws a punch at Bill and the two fight over their pursuit of the monster. This Bill is not a leader; he is a dictator. He lacks empathy, and mostly cares for himself. Even worse, his quest is no longer rooted in shame, but in pure vengeance. Bill doesn't express his self-loathing at what happened to Georgie. Instead, at the end of the film, when Pennywise presents Itself as Georgie, Bill just punches IT in the face.
The shift in Bill is a subtle one, but has huge consequences for the story. By changing his leadership style, it makes the other Losers look more like followers of fear than a group of equals. In many ways, Bill is no different than the crazy bully Henry Bowers, whose friends follow him out of fear. Like Henry, Bill is on a mission to destroy, has little regard for the consequences of his actions, gets others involved who don't necessarily want to be, and doesn't listen to reason. Yet, we like Bill and hate Henry because Bill stutters and Henry likes carving his initials into the bellies of defenseless fat kids.
This is not to say Bill isn't the hero, but that Muschetti misfires with Bill by removing his core empathy and giving the character over completely to obsession. While the rest of the characters don't fare as badly as Bill does, each loses something, mainly through the cutting of interactions. On a basic level, we see this in the fact that Bev only interacts with Bill and Ben through most of the movie, yet is presented as the symbol of group unity. She can't even be bothered to share a smoke with Richie, or have a conversation with Stan and Mike.
Bill and Bev certainly present issues in characterization, but no character is more problematic than Mike Hanlon. There have already been several insightful thinkpieces about the treatment of Mike that there is little I can add, but the gist is this: Mike is presented as a token black character for no reason. Granted, most of these characters are tokens in their own way, so it stands to reason Mike would receive no better treatment. It was a struggle for me to watch one of my favorite characters in the novel reduced to a handsome black face that has to face the racist white bully. It was harder to watch Mike's love for history handed over to Ben. Mike deserved better.
All of these wonderful characters deserved better. This is what happens when style trumps substance.
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THE NEW HORROR AESTHETIC
IT is the culmination of the trend in cheap seat horror to rely on the jump scare as the source of terror. No horror film of this variety has handled this trope better than Muschetti’s film. Arguably, Muschetti has perfected the jump scare. His film is a maze at Knott’s Scary Farm or Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights waiting to happen. The soundtrack is pitched to screamtastic levels. Put a camera on audiences and every 5-7 minutes, prepare to see people grabbing each other or jumping like William Castle had come back from the dead to put a tingler in their seat.
This reliance on the jump scare is aided by a color palette washed in sepia tones and deeper reds, which enable the clown to do his Jack-in-Box routine in darkness that can't elicit laughter. Muschetti and his postproduction team nailed the look of this film like mad scientists.
The beauty of this is that audiences love IT. This is a horror movie that feels like a horror film. Yet, IT remains safe, like those scary carnival mazes. When you're creeping your way through one, every darkened corner promises danger, but behind all that tension you know none of the masked employees can touch you without legal repercussion. Sadly, IT isn't allowed to touch you either. Promises of danger lurk around every shot, but it is all bark and no bite.
Take the Neibolt Street House sequence. There's a clever moment in which Bill and Richie, separated from Eddie, try to find him before Pennywise gets him and are presented with three doors to escape. The doors are labeled “Not Scary,” “Scary,” and “Very Scary.” Of course the boys take the first one, and are presented with a frightening image. You would imagine they would be forced to take the third door, but instead they double down on the “Not Scary” path and are rewarded for their cowardice. This is the ultimate in style over substance. The scene looks perfect, but says and does nothing.
Still, the aesthetic is convincing. This is how we want horror movies to look, even if they have nothing to say.
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THE IMPLICATIONS OF IT
Since Warner Bros.’s sinks are exploding with dollar bills right now, IT will have a seismic impact on the popular culture landscape. Some things are inevitable: we will get a “Chapter Two” featuring the adults returning to Derry for a final showdown with IT. We can also expect more horror movies. Will we get more clown flicks? I'm sure there's plenty of those being prepared for VOD as I write this.
What I am more concerned about is the state of horror film. Over the last decade, we have seen a renaissance in indie horror. Get Out, It Follows, The Babadook, The Witch, The Invitation, Cheap Thrills, Starry Eyes, Goodnight Mommy, and Raw are a few of the most notable titles. This movement has brought a variety of styles and an emergence of new voices unlike anything we’ve seen since the 70s. Even a big budget haunted house franchise like The Conjuring reinforced the brilliance of James Wan and reminded us of the power in the traditional horror story amidst all the rebels.
IT feels like a sea change, though. The Conjuring made tons of money, but it didn't make this kind of money. And while The Conjuring felt traditional, IT is being presented as something new. People are talking about it like it's different. Joe Hill, King's son and respected novelist, called IT “one of the five best horror movies I've ever seen.” This movie is a hydrogen bomb on pop culture, especially as it arrived on the heels of the poorest performing summer box office in 20 years. This movie isn't just new, it's a savior.
So while we can expect more Stephen King remakes and adaptations, we can also expect less money for horror indies. Studios will want more movies to look and feel like IT, and in this narrowing marketplace, that has the potential to choke out the little guy. This is the true horror.
I hope I am wrong. Horror films are cheap to make. That is their appeal for young filmmakers looking to make a mark. Hopefully this doesn't change.
The Stephen King fan in me celebrates the love IT is receiving around the world. The cinephile in me is afraid of what this means for horror cinema going forward.
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2017 Year in REVIEW: Part 2
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Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt and welcome to the final week of Deviant-cember! It's been fun ride, but it's time to wrap up 2017. And I'm doing by going over all the major animated series/animation related news that came out this year, ranking the shows from best to worse, and deciding which animation network "won" the year. If you haven't seen part one yet I suggest you check it out before continuing this part, 2017 Year in REVIEW: Part 1 But for those of you who have seen the first part, let's just jump back into things.  Teen Titans Go! had another miniseries this year as a follow up to Island Adventures. This time, based off the episode "40% 40% 20%." one of the most popular episodes of the series. And to celebrate this event Cartoon Network decided to have a marathon airing nothing but Teen Titans Go! and the newly premiered O.K. For an entire week!  I'm starting to feel numb to this.  This is the "Night Begins To Shine" Miniseries, how was it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGIe8d9w8O4
 Now before I get into this, I do feel like I need to briefly go over my opinion on the episode "40% 40% 20%" since that's the episode that this miniseries is directly based on. And my opinion on it is pretty much the same as everybody else's. The episode is great, and shows that Teen Titans Go! can be genuinely good when it wants to be. The episode featured a stylish art style, a story that focused on abstract visual storytelling, and a really catchy song. The episode isn't without it's faults, but it is one of the best Teen Titans Go! episodes, in my opinion. So how did this sequel do?  Well let's start with the positives. The visuals in the music word are still really good, capturing the 80's aesthetic perfectly. It honestly reminds me a lot of Moonbeam City. Anybody remember Moonbeam City?  No, oh. Okay...  The covers of the song "Night Begins to Shine" by Fall Out Boys, CeeLo Green, and Puffy Ami Yumi were also neat to hear. Especially Puffy Ami Yumi, it was a nice throw back to the old show having them preform. However, I do wish that more time where devoted to these covers.  However, the special does have it's fault. One problem, surprisingly, is that the special focuses too much on story. Complex stories are not Teen Titans Go's! strong suit. Part of the reason why "40% 40% 20%" worked so well was because of it's simplicity. It focused less on story and more on visuals and atmosphere. But by trying to stretch the story out to an hour, and giving the music world this whole backstory it takes away that simplicity. Also we spend a lot of time in the real world, away from the psychedelic visuals that we all came for. And while "Night Begin's To Shine," plus the new song they make are both extremely catchy, they aren't enough to fill up an entire hour. And since all the covers are all shoved in at the end, the song kinda get's old after a while. And visually they don't really do much new with the music world that wasn't done in the first episode.  However, I don't want to be to hard on the episode, because unlike a lot of other episodes, you can really feel the passion that went into it. It feels like the people behind TTG were really trying to make something epic. And while I don't think it entirely works one hundred percent of the time, I do give them an A for effort. The special is better than Island Adventure from a technical standpoint, but it doesn't have the "so bad it's good" element that Island Adventure had. So it's kinda up to you're own personal preference to figure out which mini-series is more enjoyable.  But that's not all CN did, as like I said before, It wasn't just a Teen Titans Go! marathon, but also a marathon for there new show "OK KO: Let's Be Heroes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWyHZQARrnM
 OK KO: Let's Be Heroes, created by Ian Jones-Quartey, follows the adventures of KO, a young optimistic kid who work's at a mall plaza. The twist however being that it's set in a world with the rules and logic of a shonen anime or a beat-em-up video game, and by working at the plaza he'll be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a hero. Already the show has a lot of promise with it's premise alone, but how does it succeed in terms of execution?  Let's start with the characters. They're all pretty good for the most part. KO is a very likable character very reminiscent of the young hot blooded shonen protagonist that he is inspired by. Enid works well as the straight woman-  But not to straight, ammiright!? Up top!
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Oh man, we got ourselves a sad lonely lesbian up in in this hiz-ous! Quick, Somebody give this show an Emmy!  Also I'd like to give special mention to Lord Boxman and his robot children, who are my personal favorite characters. Imagine Megaman's Dr. Willy and his robot masters crossed with Team Rocket from the Pokemon anime. The only character who I'm not super crazy about is Rad. He's not awful or anything, but his obnoxious personality can definitely become overbearing at points. Also his entire character arc is pretty much just Lars' character arc from Steven Universe, only not as well done. But he doesn't ruin the show for me or anything.  The animation for the show is kinda hit or miss. The show has a very sketchy art style that people seem to either love or hate. Personally, it's not really something I gravitate to. Though I do admire that it has an art style that looks different from the traditional "CN" art style that we've seen so much of the last couple of years and also do like how it has a kinda "middle school doodle" aesthetic to it. It's not a bad art style, just not really my thing.  However, what is a bigger problem is the consistency of the characters designs. And thus we enter the online debate that's been haunting the animation community have been having since Ren and Stimpy came out in the nineties. Is off model animation ugly or expressive? I feel like it can work in some cases, but I don't think it works here. Characters look off model so much that it just comes off as sloppy. Which is a shame because if we're talking just about the actual movement this has some of the most fluid animation that I've seen in any Cartoon Network series.  I also have a bit of the problem with the writing. I don't know what tone this show is trying to go for. Half the time it seems like it's trying to be this super silly cartoon while the other half of the time it tries to be a serious lore show and it doesn't gel well. The comedic elements mix well with the lore, like having the big season one mystery revolve around a falling sandwich.  I just couldn't find myself caring about it all. Also the shows main evil shadowy figure pulling the strings name is Shadowy Figure. I'm sorry I can't take this villain seriously. Coupled with some episodes with some really hammered in morals and a odd amount of gimmicky episodes, the show ends up feeling like a jumble of interesting yet disconnected ideas without any clear cohesion.  But is the show bad? No. What I think saves the show is the characters. They are genuinely likable and I like just seeing how they interact with each other. It's defiantly an improvement over there last couple of shows (Ben 10, Mighty Magiswords, Powerpuff Girls,) but I don't think it lives up to some of there other modern classics (Like Steven Universe, Adventure Time, or We Bare Bears.) OK KO is Okay...KO.  The unwatch button is down there. I completely understand.  Meanwhile Disney decided to get into the reboot game with Ducktales 2017. And can i just say that I genuinely think that if they didn't  use the old theme song everybody would hate this show. Like they could keep everything else the exact same, but if they cut the theme song down to say thirty seconds like most cartoons now of days people would hate this as much as they hate the Powerpuff Girls reboot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKSU82afy1w
 Well the show doesn't have any of the original voice actor and the creator's different, so the show must be awful right guys? Okay cool, done. Next show-  No, obviously I'm kidding. Let's talk about Ducktales 2017. No need to spend to much time on the plot, cause it's Ducktales. You all know the story. Three trouble making young ducks move in with there rich adventure loving Uncle Scrooge, and shenanigans ensue. They solve mysteries, rewrite histories ect. Disney hyped this show to hell, and even aired the hour long series premiere TWENTY FOUR TIMES IN A ROW! I really wanna know, was there anybody who watched ALL twenty four showings back to back to back? I mean someone must of, right?  Now I don't know much about Ducktales. It was WAY before my time, though from what I can gather this is a pretty good series in terms of it being a reboot. It isn't just adapting the old show. It's combining elements of the old show, the comics, and new ideas and that's honestly the best way to go about a reboot in my personal opinion. I'm glad they just make it a rehash with all the still living cast members returning, and a ton of wink and nod references to the old show that new fans won't understand. I give the show a lot of props for that.  I also want to praise the shows beautiful art style. I love how it looks like a comic book, not only calling back the series roots, but also giving it a unique visual identity. The show is also really funny, having a very clever wit mixed with a very comically exaggerated world. The world feels very comic book-y and has a real sense of fun to it. It's cool seeing all the creative shrines and temples that exist in this world, just waiting to be explored.  The characters range in quality, though that may not be the shows fault as episodes are being aired out of order, and as such the amount of attention given to each cast member is not equal. But I won't hold that against the show.  However, the show is far from perfect. It suffers a bit from what I call Milo's Murphy's Law syndrome. As in, the show is great on it's own but is so similar to what came before that it takes away some of the enjoyment. "But JoyofCrimeArt" I hear you saying "I thought you said that this show wasn't rehashing the original Ducktales cartoon." And it's not.  It's rehashing Gravity Falls. Okay, maybe "rehash" is a strong word, but It's hard to not notice the similarities. I don't know if this show is borrowing from Gravity Falls or if Gravity Falls was actually just a ripping off the original Ducktales and it just took me five years to realize it, but just take a look at the similarities.
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 We got a group of tween age twins/triplets-
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 -who move in with there miserly jerk with a heart of gold great uncle.
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 And a socially awkward spunky girl with a grappling hook-
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 -Who are trying to solve a mystery involving a missing personal. All without letting the miserly uncle know what's going on.
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 With the miserly uncles dim witted older assistant-
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 -and a cool "older sister" like role model along for the ride.
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With an antagonist who is a rival businessmen to the miserly uncle.  Seriously, it's pretty blatant. And to be fair it's not an exact rip-off or anything. Some things are executed differently. The world and comedy of Ducktales is definitely a lot more cartoon-y and over the top than Gravity Falls. And there are elements in one but not the other for sure. But there are definite parallels, and judging by the marketing Disney is doing for this show it seems pretty clear that they want this to be their "new Gravity Falls." It's not that the show is bad per say, but it's hard for me to not compare it to Gravity Falls, and I'm sorry but Gravity Falls is definitely the better of the two series. In fact you could say that this show is basically...
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Also can I just say that I don't give a crap about this shows lore. Like, at all. They try to do the big overarching mystery thing and I am just not invested at all. I like shows with lore, I really do, but this is far from a new concept at this point and if you're going to do it now you got to add something new to it But this is just the same beats. And I could be wrong, but I feel like I know exactly where it's going. Without going into to many specifics there's a character who mysteriously disappeared, and it looks like they did something really bad before disappearing. But I know their's going to be some explanation given to make their actions justifiable because I know they wouldn't make this character a bad guy. Their's another character who their playing up as working for the villain, but I know their going to give this character a redemption arc because that's what all lore shows like this do. Their doing that thing where they're solving this mystery but they don't want anybody to know about it, without any real reason why other than just the "we can't trust anybody" crap. Character's keep secrets from each other just so there can be more mystery. These tropes were new and innovated when shows like Gravity Falls and Steven Universe came out.. but that was a while ago and we've had a lot of mystery shows since then we've seen all these story beats in those shows, and nothing new is brought to the table.  So yeah, I can't say that I love this show as much as most people. But that doesn't mean I hate it. Their are things I do really like about it. Like the humor, the cartoon-y atmosphere and the art style. But it is a shame when the mystery, the thing that's suppose to be the most enticing, ends up being the shows weakest element. I think if this show came out a couple years ago. before so may cartoons followed this kind of formula, I would of liked it a lot better.  But hey, at least it's better than Marvel's Spider-Man. Ha-ha! Segway!
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Yeah...this show doesn't really have a theme song...  Now it's hard to talk about Marvel's Spider-Man without talking about the previous Disney XD Spider-Man series, Ultimate Spider-Man. I only watched a little over one season of USM before I dropped the series because honestly, it wasn't very good in my opinion. The whole show felt like it was made by a committee featuring dumbed down writing, obvious cross promotion to other Marvel properties, and a Spider-Man who came across less like a nerdy genius and more like an arrogant buffoon. So when this series was announced, with official press statements referring to it to a "back to basics" approach to the franchise, I was hopeful. How did the show turn out?  Well...it's better than Ultimate. I think....  Honestly it seems odd that they cancelled Ultimate Spider-Man for this because the series feels like it has most of the problems that Ultimate Spider-Man had. Just slightly less so. The writing still feels dumbed down, but slightly less dumbed down. The series is less focused on cross promotion and mostly features Spider-Man characters, which is a plus as I though that Ultimate Spider-Man was a bit too "Marvel Universe Centrict." But that still hasn't stopped the show from already having an episode where Spider-Man meets Iron Man, and another episode where he meets the Hulk. IN THE FIRST FOURTEEN EPISODES. This version of Spider-Man is more of a nerd which is good, but they messed it up by going in the opposite direction by making him TOO MUCH of a nerd, with him constantly talking about how awesome science is at every possible opportunity.  Also the animation of this show is really bad. Nothing is shaded properly, and it's very distracting.  The only thing that I really like about this show is Norman Osborn. He's voiced by Josh Keaton, who played Spider-Man in the Spectacular Spider-Man and I was shocked to see how well is was able to pull off such an opposite character. He's just as petty and cartoonishly conniving as Norman Osborn should be. But other than that, the show doesn't have much to offer. It's clearly made for really little kids, and their isn't really much for adults. It's that bland kind of bad, where it feels like there just wasn't much passion put into this. I'm sure that's not true but that's how it feels.  Speaking of reboots of 80's properties, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 aired it's final episode after five seasons and over one hundred episodes. Now like I said in part one, I've only seen the first two seasons of this show, so I don't know how good the last three seasons where, but I'm glad that the show got a good run. From what I saw, it was a pretty great show. However what does annoy me is that Nickelodeon moved it to Nicktoons with only TEN EPISODES LEFT! Like really Nick? You couldn't just air the last ten?  Meanwhile at Netflix, not satisfied with just one anime-esq cartoon project they decided to make another. This is...(sigh) This is Neo Yokio. Or, another installment in my side series series, (Oh, the Cringe!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLNRZ_1WyzM
 Neo Yokio, created by Ezra Koenig and starring Jaden Smith was a show that was originally pitched to the Fox ADHD block, but ended up in a state of development limbo after said block got canned. But someone at Netflix decided that this show was something that the world desperately needed and decided to pick it up themselves. The series stars Kaz Kaan, the most popular bachelor in the entire city of Neo Yokio. He's you're average millionaire celebrity dealing with all the first world problems that a millionaire celebrity have to deal with. But he's also a demon hunter...and..and...and...  Jaden Smith is younger than I am. How come he has his own anime?! I want my own anime! Come on Netflix, pick up "Average Spirit Warrior" please!  This show is odd. Not just odd, it's an odd kind of odd that's hard to explain. I don't know what this show wants to be, and so I don't know how to judge it. Sometimes it seems like it's trying to be an action show. Other times it seems like it's trying to be a straight forward comedy. OTHER other times it seems like it's trying to be parody of anime. And other other OTHER times it feels like it's trying to be a serious show about social issues like the wealth gap and the gender spectrum?!  Is there just some rule in the Netflix contracts that says that every Netflix show has to tackle gender identity, regardless of it it fits the series or not? Is that why Bill Nye's show had a rap about a vagina? Is that why?  It has a real adult swim vibe, like they bought the rights to some obscure early 2000's anime and decided to make there own dub. The animation even has the quality to it to, with lots of really bad lip syncing. The show's art is also not that great, looking like it's ten years older than it actually is.  The show varies in quality from so bad it's good, to actually pretty dull. Unlike other over the top weird anime Neo Yokio has a very slow pace, which makes everything feel at lot more mundane. Also Kaz is a very hard character to relate to because he is so rich and so oblivious to the world around him. Though the show does definitely have it's stand out moments. The show is so bizarre that there are plenty of funny "WTF" style moments, like the running gag with the Big Toblerone bar and some of Jaden Smiths bizarre spiritual-isms. Jaden Smith, while pretty monotone as a voice actor, did surprise me a couple of times with some okay comedic timing believe it or not.    The show also has some interesting world building that I wished they elaborated more on. There's sort of this alternate history element to this world's history that result in a lot of creative idea. It's a world with no 9/11, the Soviets are still around, Japan and Italy are somehow one nation...  You know I bet if your reading this without watching the show first I sound like a raving lunatic. WHY IS EZRA KOENIG MAKING AN ANIME? He's primarily a INDIE GUITARIST!  Do I recommend watching it? Ehh, I can say that I have never seen a show quite like it...I'd say watch the trailer. It's a good representation of the show, and if you find that trailer "funny bad" then you'll probably get a kick out of this show. If not, then you can skip it. Overall, to me at least, the show just didn't have much synergy...  But hey, don't say you love the anime if you haven't read the manga...
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 And Teen Titans Go! is getting a movie and wait...what? NEXT JULY!? Shouldn't there be like a...trailer or something out then?! I mean Spider-Verse has a trailer and that's not coming out till December! But hey..."In general, if a traditionally animated film comes out in theaters I'll see it just to support the medium." Right? I mean that's what I said in the last part...rIgHt?1  Now all the stuff that I've previously mentioned we're all fine, but none of it was grabbing the cartoon community attention to much. Ducktales came the closest, but with Rick and Morty Season three about to end there needed to be another show to be the new big thing. Then...Big Mouth Happened. Or...another installment in my newly booming side series (Oh, the Cringe!) REAL WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK! For Real.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DlpO5UOnI
 Now when I decided to watch this show in preparation for this review, I thought that I was going to be the only person in the cartoon community to really talk about it. I thought that this show would like "Legend of Chamberlain Heights" or "TripTank." An awful show, but a show that would fly under the radar just because of how "generically awful" it would be. That's why I was suprised when this show became the biggest hot topic in our community,and a widely debated topic at that. For real, I haven't seen a show this polarizing in a long time. People like Mr. Enter and I Hate Everything say that the show is awful, and one of the first cartoons ever, bordering child porn in terms of the content that the series shows. Other's like PhantomStrider on the other hand found the series to be a smart and deep dive into the lives of prepubescent adolescents and tackling the topic well. Which side do I land on?  Ehh, somewhere in the middle I guess.  I'll start with the pros of the show first. The show's biggest strength it's relatability. Being a show that tackles puberty it is almost impossible for you to not relate to this show on some level. This does help ground the world and get you into the characters easier because you see yourself in their shoes. The characters are fairly good for the most part, with Andrew being the most stand out character out of the main four kids. This I think was what surprised me the most, as most of these shows tend to make the characters assholes for the sake of being assholes but they stay mostly likable. Though the best character overall to me personally is The Ghost of Duke Ellington played by Jordan Peele. His performance is just so over the top and it's just such a random idea for a character that I can't help but kinda like it. Also there's this one gym coach character who I feel like I should be more annoyed by, but I kinda end up really liking. Though that might be just because he reminds me of Coach Z from Homestar Runner.
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 I show also covers a lot of topics that aren't covered in a lot of other shows, and covers them well. There is actual thought put into it. Honestly I think this show would be a good one to show somebody who is in puberty, as it gives a lot of informative info out in a much more personal way then most sex ed videos do.  The internal continuity of the world is very hey wire. Sometimes people can see the hormone monsters, sometimes they can't. Sometimes they have the ability to effect the world around them, while other times it's kept ambiguous to weather or not they even are real, or just figments of the characters imagination. But I also don't think that it's really the point of the show. I think it's just whatever is funnier in the moment. There's a fluidness to the reality.  However, there are definitely some problems with the show. Whenever the humor is trying to be crass or offensive the jokes tend to land a lot less. The show can end up becomes genuinely uncomfortable, and there were a lot of moments where I did end up changing tabs while watching. Being on Netflix they are able to get away with a lot, including showing full uncensored penis, vagina's, semen, and more. Often times involving the kids, and there is a real creep factor to it. I know the shows about puberty and that's the subject matter, but I feel like this is a rare case where "show don't tell" doesn't apply to storytelling. This is the shows biggest issue, and it's hard to ignore cause it's in almost every episode.  The shows art style also isn't the best. It has this "Family Guy meets Klasky Csupo" look to it. And those are to properties that aren't most well regarded for there animation.  Overall I can say that I did enjoy the show more than I was expecting to. Though keep in mind my expectations were "Brickleberry." I think the show is more good than bad though, with the comedy and the likable characters being the saving grace. But if you don't like ugly animation or gross out, then just pull out now.  Meanwhile in the real world McDonalds released the "Mulan Schezwan Sauce" to the public for one day only. All in honor of a Rick and Mortyjoke from the first episode of season three. Fan's rioted as there was not enough supply to meet demand, leading to the story getting national coverage from major news outlets. Honestly, I have nothing to add to this, I just think it's funny.  But forget about joy, it's time to become suddenly all serious and depressing! As the #MeToo movement happened several animators where accused of sexual misconduct. Some of the names of those accused include Loud House creator Chris Savino and Head of Pixar and Disney animation John Lassenter. I do want you to keep in mind though that these are just accusations. It seems like lately when a celebrity is accused of something like this people always decide that their guilty until proven innocent. Because they don't want to come off as victim shaming. However that doesn't mean they didn't do it either...yeah I have nothing else to really say here. Chris Savino was fired and John Lassenter was put on a six month leave, with rumors saying he'll be fired afterwards. Um...there's no non awkward way to segway out of this topic is there? Crap.  Um, anyway Teen Titans Go! had there 200th episode. And guess how they celebrated. Go ahead, just make an educated guess. Well if you said an almost four day Teen Titans Go! marathon over Thanksgiving weekend, then you'd be right!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7MWNWJReqU
Okay well, at least this one was actually celebrating something! So there's that at least!   
 Meanwhile the same night Nickelodeon premiered "Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie." The finale thirteen years in the making. 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfSPjRoQjCk
He's got a journal and a long lost relative. Y'know what that means, it's time for some LORE!  Now, I've never really watched Hey Arnold before, outside of a few episodes-  JESUS CHRIST! WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN?!  -But despite that, I did find myself enjoying this movie more than I thought I would. The movie is fairly stand alone, and for the most part can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of the show. The biggest strength of the film is the cast, who are genuinely likable, and the comedy which is genuinely funny. I also like how the movie does have a bit of a darker approach to it. It's not Samurai Jack dark or anything, but the villain is genuinely threatening and there are some actual onscreen deaths. It's not bloody or anything, but it's pretty intense for Nickelodeon. This really gives the movie a since of stakes and danger that I really enjoyed. It earns the PG rating.  There are some problems though in terms of the story telling. There are some forced conflicts that seem like they're just there to be there. Also the movie is actually pretty confusing in terms of what is magic and what isn't to the point where I'm still not one hundred percent sure if the ancient prophecy was true or not. Maybe I missed something, but it seems kinda muddled. Also the villain, while threatening, isn't very interesting. He's just the cliche "want's money" villain, with nothing making him really stand out. But most of these problems aren't TOO glaring and I was able to enjoy the film regardless. And if I enjoyed it then I'm sure people who actually watched Hey! Arnold probably loved it. And I'm glad that the fans finally got a proper ending after all this time.  Unfortunately, despite trending on twitter the movies actual ratings were not very good, getting a 1.7 million across three networks. That might sound okay, but it only barely beat out The Loud House episode that aired right before and that only aired on one network. Even Teen Titans Go! 200th episode, which airs on a much less popular network, was only a couple thousand views less than it.  I'm torn, because on one hand I liked the movie and wished it did better, knowing how long the creator and fans were waiting for it. On the other hand, I'm hoping that this might help Nickelodeon get out of their "90's kids phase" that they seem to be in. i mean there's Hey! Arnold, Invader Zim, Rocko. All these announced revivals really makes it feels like there kinda having a mid life crisis. And while there nineties shows where great, I think they need to acknowledge that it wasn't there only good period.  If there's something to take away from this, it's that as much as you hear people talk about how much better things were better in the nineties, these people are the minority. Most of the people who watch these channels are kids, and kids don't care about old nineties and two thousands shows they've never heard of. They care about what's on now.  Also, while this news effects much more than just animation, Disney bought most of Fox's entertainments rights for fifty two billion dollars. Which is an amount of money that I cannot even begin the fathom. That's enough money to buy everybody in the world five large McDonald's Soda. And that includes like new born babies and stuff. (Alternatively, that might be enough for about three Schezwan Sauce packets.) In terms of animation, that means Disney now owns The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Archer, All the Ice Age and Rio movies, Allen Frickin' Gregory. I'm honestly a bit worried about this. Disney is become more and more powerful, and I feel it's only a matter of time till they monopolize entertainment. I'm also worried how this will effect other TV channels. For example, if Disney wanted could they pull all the Fox shows off of adult swim, or TBS? Only time will tell, as this deal will take about a year to really go into effect, but hopefully our new mouse overlord will be merciful.  And to cap of f the year, Cartoon Network decided to celebrate Christmas by having an EIGHT DAY LONG TEEN TITANS GO! MARATHON! (with two episodes of Steven Universe sprinkled in.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7hwNB4Cv4
Now I know what you're probably thinking. "Wait, if they just passed two hundred episodes, then doesn't that mean they only have enough episodes for about two days?' Well normally yes, but even though there's only enough episodes that last two days, through a miracle it was able to last for eight nights.  And that's why we celebrate Hanukkah.  For real though, I try to defend Cartoon Network, but this is just too far! We had JUST gotten a multi-day Teen Titans Go! marathon literally a month ago! While annoying, at least I understand that one. It was for there two hundredth episode. It's a big milestone that should be celebrated. But this is just Christmas! Cause who wants to watch Christmas specials on Christmas right?! And it's not just Teen Titans Go!, I'd be upset regardless of the show. As of the time of this being posted it's still going on.  And it's not just CN. Nickelodeon had a last minute schedule change replacing several of there Christmas specials with Spongebob and Loud House reruns. Not all there specials though, and it was only for one day, so it's far less egregious. But it shows that when one channel falls they can all be effected. Ugh!  Yeah, I hate to end on that note, but honestly I'm just happy that I didn't end on sexual harassment, which was a real concern at one point. 2017 was a wild ride for the animation community, and I'm glad you came along with me on this look back through it all. Now, it's time to rank the shows. Keep in mind though that this is just my personal opinion. Also I'm not very good at these list things, and my opinion tends to change all the time. This is more of just a "for fun" thing. Let's do this. 9. Bunsen is a Beast 8. Castlevania 7. Marvel's Spider-Man 6. Ben 10 5. Neo Yokio 4. Big Mouth 3. (TIE) OK KO: Let's Be Heroes and Ducktales 2017 2. Hanizuki: Full of Treasures 1. Samurai Jack Season Five  Though that's just my opinions now. Who knows how they might change in the future. And keep in mind that there were a lot of shows that I didn't see or talk about that came out this year. Like these...  (Apollo Gauntlet, Big Hero 6: the Series, Billy Dilly's Super Duper Subterranean Summer, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Danger and Egg, Dorthy and the Wizard of Oz, Hotel Transylvania: The Series, Legend Quest, Mysticons, Niko and the Sword of Light, Sex Swings, Strech Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, Tangled the Series, Tarantula, Tarzan and Jane, Tender Touches, The Jellies, The Magic School Bus Rides Again, Unikitty, Vampirina, Wacky Races 2017, Welcome to the Wayne, Wishfart)  As for the grade, last year got a B-. Good, but could use improvement. This year...honestly I have to give a C. Just...average. Even not counting the shows I talked about this year there were several shows that I watched, intending to put into this review, that I ended up cutting cause I had nothing to really say on them. And honestly, even shows like Ducktales and OK KO, which are pretty high on my list have their problems. But I acknowledge that every year's quality won't be exactly even, so I'm not going to panic just yet. I still have high hopes for 2018.  Now for the network that "won" this year. BTW since this is a new segment, I'll announce the winner for 2016 too. Last year I would say that Nickelodeon "won" the year for their success with The Loud House and for getting Spongebob out of it's seasonal rot. I've never seen the public opinion of a network to change so quickly. As for this year, I will say that the winner was Netflix, for really proving that their committing to animation. In addition to having the most shows I talked about this year (3/10) they also had other series that I didn't mention like Strech Armstrong Magic School Bus. Not to mention new seasons of Bojack, F is for Family, Voltron, Trollhunters and more. Sure not every show they had was great, but it shows initiative, and shows that they are a worthy contender in landscape of animation.  So that was 2017 year in review. While not the best year, it did have it's some very memorable series and moments. And I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for the world of animation. What did you think of any of the shows or stories that I talked about today? Are there any that I missed? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment down bellow. I'd love to hear them. Please fav, follow, and comment and have a great year. See ya in 2018! (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)   
  https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/2017-Year-in-REVIEW-Part-2-722602821 DA Link
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biofunmy · 4 years
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Texas, Thanksgiving, Duke: Your Wednesday Briefing
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)
Good morning.
We’re covering weather woes for Thanksgiving travelers, President Trump’s plan to label Mexican drug cartels terrorists, and a major upset in college basketball.
Weather scrambles holiday travel
Powerful winds are expected today in the Northwest, along with blizzard conditions in the Midwest and rain in the Northeast, after foul weather disrupted plans during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Here are the latest updates.
Hundreds of flights were canceled and parts of interstate highways were closed on Tuesday because of unsafe conditions.
Expected high winds in New York on Thursday could ground some of the giant balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
From The Times: Editors and writers from our Food section took sides in some of the holiday’s fiercest culinary debates. To brine or not to brine?
Quiz: How much do you know about turkey pardons, football and the dangers of deep-frying? Test yourself.
Aides quit after Ukraine money was delayed
A White House budget official told impeachment investigators this month that two of his colleagues had resigned after President Trump’s decision to withhold military assistance to Ukraine.
A transcript of the testimony by the official, Mark Sandy, was released on Tuesday. He didn’t identify either colleague, and it was unclear how directly their resignations were tied to their concerns over the aid.
The issue is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. The president has said he never pressured Ukraine for investigations of his political rivals or tied the aid to them.
Related: Mr. Trump knew that a whistle-blower had accused him of wrongdoing by the time he released the aid to Ukraine in September, two people familiar with the matter told The Times.
The Daily: Today’s episode is about how the Biden family was drawn into the Ukraine affair.
What’s next: The House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings as part of the inquiry next week.
Americans are dying young
Increased death rates among middle-aged people extend to all racial and ethnic groups, and geographic regions, despite a recent focus on white Americans in rural areas who die of drug overdoses, alcoholism and suicide.
According to a study published on Tuesday, death rates for people aged 25 to 64 increased in nearly every state from 2010 to 2017.
Quotable: “The whole country is at a health disadvantage compared to other wealthy nations,” the study’s lead author said. “We are losing people in the most productive period of their lives.”
Related: The country’s fertility rate fell in 2018 for the fourth straight year, the federal government said today. There were 59.1 births for every 1,000 women of childbearing age in the U.S. last year, a record low.
‘All we can do is sit and wait’
More than two years after back-to-back hurricanes hit the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, an examination of Federal Emergency Management Agency records indicates that recovery efforts there have stalled compared with those in states on the mainland.
FEMA officials say much of the problem lies with a system in which local governments or charities pay to begin recovery efforts and are later reimbursed by the federal government. But the islands have seen a sluggish economic recovery, complicated by corruption and, islanders say, questions of race.
Why it matters: The disparity in the response shows how Washington has treated citizens on the mainland, with voting representatives in Congress and a say in presidential elections, compared with citizens on the islands.
Response: “Comparing disasters misleads the American people,” Jeffrey Byard, an official with FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, said. “Each event has a unique set of circumstances, and numbers alone cannot and do not provide a complete picture of what is needed to help communities recover.”
If you have some time, this is worth it
A sequel that arrives every seven years
In 1964, a TV crew followed a group of 7-year-olds from various socioeconomic backgrounds in Britain to explore the subject of class.
The director Michael Apted returned to interview them every seven years, creating what has arguably become the most profound documentary series in the history of cinema. The Times Magazine explores the “Up” series as the project nears its conclusion.
Late-night comedy: President Trump pardoned two turkeys, named Bread and Butter, as part of the annual White House Thanksgiving tradition. Jimmy Fallon said, “I saw that you could actually go online and vote for which turkey got the official pardon, which is why Butter’s lawyer got caught in Ukraine trying to find dirt on Bread.”
What we’re reading: This piece from Politico, by Ryan Lizza. Bill Wasik, the deputy editor of The Times Magazine, calls it a “truly unmissable piece of reporting and synthesis about Barack Obama’s mind-set toward the 2020 primary.”
Now, a break from the news
Cook: Chicken thighs braised with apples and greens make a hearty one-pot dinner.
Watch: In “The Two Popes,” Jonathan Pryce (as the future Pope Francis) and Anthony Hopkins (as Pope Benedict XVI) star in a study of faith, friendship and power.
Read: Our Book Review has compiled a list of 100 notable titles from this year.
Smarter Living: Just in case, here’s how to defuse tension at your holiday table.
And now for the Back Story on …
Let the stalks shine
Celery — the subject of at least three food fads over the last 150 years — may finally be ready for a permanent starring role.
The vegetable, grown for centuries in the Mediterranean, became wildly popular in the late 19th century. Raw stalks were arranged in crystal vases on dinner tables created to show off the era’s “It” ingredient.
In the U.S., Dutch immigrants started growing the vegetable as early as 1874 near Kalamazoo, Mich., which was subsequently nicknamed Celery City. The seeds were disseminated across the country, and another celery craze ensued.
Fast-forward to 2018: “Last year, we had a huge spike in consumption because a Kardashian started juicing it and put it on her Instagram,” said Jake Willbrandt, a fifth-generation celery farmer in Decatur, Mich. (Dietitians say the juice is good for you, but is not a cure-all.)
That’s it for this briefing.
We’re off tomorrow for Thanksgiving, but we’ll return on Friday.
— Chris
Thank you Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Today’s Back Story was based on reporting by Alexa Weibel. You can reach the team at [email protected].
P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the Bidens’ work in Ukraine. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Thanks given in German (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • The A.V. Club named The Times’s audio series “1619” as one of the podcasts that defined the 2010s.
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eddycurrents · 5 years
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For the week of 31 December 2018
Quick Bits:
Action Comics #1006 pushes forward more of the ongoing plot of the corruption that has infested Metropolis from the top down. Brian Michael Bendis is definitely playing a long game with his Superman stories, but it doesn’t necessarily feel as decompressed as something like say his Daredevil which I only found enjoyable in the collections. I’m still getting a John Byrne-era Intergang vibe from this arc, which is welcome. Gorgeous art again from Ryan Sook and Brad Anderson.
| Published by DC Comics
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Animosity #18 concludes the “Power” arc from Marguerite Bennett, Rafael de Latorre, Elton Thomasi, Rob Schwager, and Marshall Dillon. This issue features one hell of a reckoning, deserved, that also shows how twisted people and their behaviour can become in this kind of dramatic change of the status quo.
| Published by AfterShock
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Archie #701 continues with the “Archie Forever” soft relaunch and I’m really liking what Nick Spencer, Marguerite Sauvage, and Jack Morelli are doing with it. It’s more serious than the previous “New Riverdale” initiative with Mark Waid, but it’s finding more of a balance as a teen drama rather than the harder edge of something like Riverdale. It’s also really damn good. The mystery of Reggie’s father’s disappearance is compelling, there’s some nice character work with the gang, and Sauvage’s art is gorgeous.
| Published by Archie Comics
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Archie 1941 #4 continues to explore the real human cost of war, both at home and on the front, taking an interesting look at sacrifice. The art from Peter Krause and Kelly Fitzpatrick continues to shine.
| Published by Archie Comics
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Batgirl #30 begins the “Old Enemies” arc and it drills down on one theme that Mairghread Scott has been exceptionally good at writing, politics. The conflict between Batgirl, the police, the politicians, and the people is a powderkeg just waiting to explode. Great art from Paul Pelletier, Norm Rapmund, and Jordie Bellaire.
| Published by DC Comics
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BPRD: The Devil You Know #12 continues to let the dominoes fall, showing the connections and intersections of all of the Hellboy stories since Seed of Destruction. This issue feels like the quiet moments before the end, with beautiful haunting artwork from Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart.
| Published by Dark Horse
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Champions #1 kicks off the new, larger era from Jim Zub, Steven Cummings, Marcio Menyz, Erick Arciniega, and Clayton Cowles focus on a broader team solving problems around the world. But there’s a catch, something hinky seems to be going on that we’re not quite sure of. It’s a good start, probably more in line with what Mark Waid left before Jim Zub started in the last volume, but with the more personal voice and problems that Zub was developing already.
| Published by Marvel
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Coda #8 hurts. Everything falls apart, everyone is betrayed, and we all die a little inside as people try to force positions that aren’t natural. Wow is this a punch to the heart. Si Spurrier, Matías Bergara, Michael Doig, and Jim Campbell deliver what is quite possibly the best issue to date. And damn is that art phenomenal.
| Published by BOOM! Studios
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Crowded #6 concludes the first arc with a confrontation with Trotter and, boy, is it a doozy. Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Tríona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae have just packed this series with action, excitement, and interesting characters with the mystery hanging over our heads still as to exactly what Charlie even did to get the bounty on her head.
| Published by Image
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Detective Comics #995 continues “Mythology” and its full court press on Bruce and his family from Peter Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, David Baron, and Rob Leigh. It’s pretty dark, and reminds me a bit of the feel of “Hush”, “Knightfall”, and what Tom King has been building lately in the Batman title itself, but it’s good.
| Published by DC Comics
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The Empty Man #3 takes an even bloodier and more violent turn as the Whisper Oracles make a full-on assault on the Kerrys’ neighbourhood as they believe they’re ushering in the next stage of the Empty Man’s wishes. This is disturbing and horrifying, but incredibly entertaining. Great work from Cullen Bunn, Jesús Hervás, Niko Guardia, and Ed Dukeshire.
| Published by BOOM! Studios
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The Flash #61 continues the “Force Quest” adventure, but I’m kind of getting tired of it. I like the exploration of the new forces, I like the new characters and situations that the Flash and Iris are getting into over the course of their globe-trotting, but I’m not getting a lot of substance. It seems like the Flash is off to a new location as quickly as he arrives and there’s not a lot of actual in-depth exploration and investigation of the new ideas. That may, indeed, be part of the point, with the Flash coming up empty, but it feels like we’re getting a lot of being zipped around.
| Published by DC Comics
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Giant Days #46 gives Susan a case investigating the thefts from Esther’s shop. The noir Sin City-esque sequences while she’s on the case are a wonderful use of the medium, really building the atmosphere and putting you in the right headspace for the story.
| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box
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Immortal Hulk #11 begins Hulk’s journey through Hell (or wherever they really are) beyond the Green Door and everything waxes a little philosophical. Even Puck and Creel left at the opening. This feels like a turning point in the story and Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit continue to make this incredibly compelling. 
| Published by Marvel
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Infinity Wars: Infinity #1 is weird. It’s kind of an epilogue to the Infinity Wars event, it’s also kind of a prologue for whatever comes next, teasing things more than giving any kind of really concrete story.
| Published by Marvel
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Jughead: The Hunger #11 concludes the Franken-Moose arc with some hints as to what Milton was doing with his resurrection experiments and a revelation about Jughead’s blood. It’s suspect, of course, but it’s an interesting development. Joe Eisma’s designs for the various patchwork men is very impressive.
| Published by Archie Comics / Archie’s Madhouse Presents
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Justice League Odyssey #4 continues the investigation of the Ghost Sector as the team transports some refugees off to one of the Machine Worlds where Cyborg is worshipped as a god. Like the other planets, things don’t really go to plan. It’s interesting as to how many losses Joshua Williamson seems to keep throwing at the characters (even if not being devastating as such). It definitely is leading to a world in conflict. Also, Darkseid finds a familiar face.
| Published by DC Comics
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Killmonger #3 gets even more interesting as Fisk burns King and his crew, sending them all scrambling as they’re attacked by Bullseye. There’s another twist in the tale from Bryan Hill that really needs to be witnessed. The art from Juan Ferreyra is just next level. Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.
| Published by Marvel
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Low #20 is confusing. Part of that is intentional as Stel gets tossed about from situation to situation of losing and finding her children for reasons that aren’t entirely clear at first. The other part of it is that it’s been a year and a half since the last issue, and even with the recap, it’s still a bit of “who are these people?” and “what the hell is going on?”. Absolutely bloody gorgeous artwork from Greg Tocchini and Dave McCaig, though. I really need to go back an re-read the rest of the series though to get a better appreciation for the story.
| Published by Image / Giant Generator
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Man Without Fear #1 from Jed MacKay, Danilo S. Beyruth, Andres Mossa, and Clayton Cowles picks up from where “The Death of Daredevil” left off, but you needn’t have read that to understand this (though I still highly recommend reading the last run of the Daredevil series). It’s more explicit and abstract in Matt’s journey for survival, while also focusing here on the impact this is having on Foggy. It’s very good and looks like it’s going to serve as to a bridge to what comes next in “Know Fear”.
| Published by Marvel
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Marvel Knights #5 circles back around to Matthew Rosenberg and Niko Henrichon as T’Challa storms Fisk’s tower and we get more surprising revelations for the cliffhanger to this penultimate issue. There’s a lot of action, beautifully realized by Henrichon (with colour assists from Laurent Grossat), but I think the thing I like most about this is how they handle the Hulk. His presence through the series, and this issue, has been mostly implied, much like how he was portrayed during Bruce Jones and John Romita Jr.’s tenure on the Marvel Knights volume of The Incredible Hulk. It’s a very nice touch that enhances the tribute that this series is meant to be. 
| Published by Marvel
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Olivia Twist #4 is the end to what has been a rather strange and loose adaptation of Dickens’ Oliver Twist in the future from Darin Strauss, Adam Dalva, Emma Vieceli, Lee Loughridge, and Sal Cipriano. It definitely goes off in unexpected directions and is all the better for it.
| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books
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Rainbow Brite #3 continues to be a fun adventure as Wisp tests out the extent of her powers. It’s a shame that this series is ending with its fifth issue as this is a solid all ages fantasy from Jeremy Whitley, Brittney Williams, Valentina Pinto, and Taylor Esposito.
| Published by Dynamite
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Scarlet #5 is an interesting conclusion to this mini, getting Scarlet out of Portland and a revelation as to what’s been going on outside of the city. It doesn’t really feel like an end, though. Just a stopping point for this chapter. I definitely hope there’s more somewhere down the line as Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Joshua Reed have made this as entertaining a ride as the first volume.
| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld
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The Silencer #12 is one of the few of DC’s “New Age of Heroes” titles left standing and, even though it too may not be much longer for the world based on the story’s direction, it’s pretty easy to see why. It’s a good action thriller, with some interesting intrigue in regards to Talia al Ghul’s Leviathan organization, and some great art.
| Published by DC Comics
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Star Wars: Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi #1 is the latest one-shot spotlighting the Star Wars characters throughout the ages, with this one providing a tale of Obi-Wan during his period with Anakin as his padawan, from Jody Houser, Cory Smith, Wilton Santos, Walden Wong, Java Tartaglia, and Travis Lanham. It’s not a bad little tale of acceptance and understanding in perceived difficult situations.
| Published by Marvel
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Stranger Things #4 concludes this mini from Jody Houser, Stefano Martino, Keith Champagne, Lauren Affe, and Nate Piekos, spotlighting what happened to Will Byers while he was trapped in the Upside Down and serves as a bridge to the second season of the Netflix series. The art from Martino, Champagne, and Affe is wonderful as always and I love how Houser brings it back around to the fantasy and D&D themes that permeate the show. Also, a great nod to one of the primary influences in the library sequence.
| Published by Dark Horse
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Strangers in Paradise XXV #9...man. Terry Moore is a master at changing the tone and premise of his stories at the drop of a hat. You start out as an action thriller, then you blink, and suddenly you’re in a biblical end of days scenario. Damn that’s some good stuff.
| Published by Abstract Studio
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Titans #32 presents the origin of Mother Blood and a change to the Red since the breaking of the Source Wall from Dan Abnett, Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dave Sharpe. It’s an interesting excursion giving hints as to the next direction for the series. Plus, a possible name drop for Primal Force, which would be an interesting return.
| Published by DC Comics
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Tony Stark: Iron Man #7 continues “Stark Realities” as all hell breaks loose within Tony’s virtual world as The Controller takes..um...control. Great twists and turns here, with some interesting character developments for Amanda, Jocasta, and Friday.
| Published by Marvel
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The Whispering Dark #3 blurs the lines of reality further as we’re given no reason to believe that the hallucinations aren’t real or that any of “reality” isn’t a hallucination. It’s great. Gorgeous artwork from Tomás Aira.
| Published by Dark Horse
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Winter Soldier #2 is possibly even better than the first issue, as we get a flashback for who RJ was and then a confrontation between him and Bucky. The artwork from Rod Reis is gorgeous, presenting interesting layouts and colour choices flipping between the past and the action in the present. Though, there is definitely a twinge of suspicion at what RJ’s goal actually is.
| Published by Marvel
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Wonder Woman #61 makes “The Just War” a little more interesting as a confused, reborn Aphrodite is brought into the mix, unsure whether or not she still wants to be the goddess of love. The mythological aspect that G. Willow Wilson is playing with in this story is interesting after the abandonment of Olympus and what’s been going on in Justice League Dark. It definitely feels like there’s something bigger going on than just the war. The line art chores are handled by Xermanico, who has a style not unlike Cary Nord’s, but somewhat cleaner, leaning somewhat towards Stuart Immonen and Terry Dodson. It looks good, but what really pushes this issue over the top is the colour work from Romulo Fajardo Jr. The colours just look stunning here.
| Published by DC Comics
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Other Highlights: Bloodborne #8, Books of Magic #3, Conan the Barbarian #1, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #3, Gasolina #14, Halo: Lone Wolf #1, Hex Wives #3, Invader Zim #38, Old Lady Harley #3, Princeless: Find Yourself #3, Project Superpowers #5, Redneck #18, Rick & Morty #45, Runaways #17, Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet #3, The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion #4, Unnatural #6
Recommended Collections: Black Hammer - Volume 3: Age of Doom Part 1, BPRD: Hell on Earth - Volume 4, The Conan Reader, Death of the Inhumans, The Girl Who Married a Skull & Other African Stories - Volume 1, Iron Fist, Jim Henson’s Power of the Dark Crystal - Volume 1, Jinx, The Mighty Crusaders - Volume 1, Pestilence - Volume 2: A Story of Satan, Powers - Book 2, Spider-Geddon: Edge of Spider-Geddon, Tony Stark: Iron Man - Volume 1: Self Made Man, Witchfinder - Volume 5: Gates of Heaven
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d. emerson eddy works hard for his monkey. So hard for his monkey. And he’s going to treat it right.
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